beer + grilled foods = summer

There’s just something about having a beer in one hand and something grilled in the other that is quintessentially summer. So when we (Rhon and I) were at Whole Foods a few weeks ago and noticed that they were holding a Summer Beerfest last night, we decided to go. It would’ve been nice to share it with a group, but since we found out last minute, everyone already had plans. Oh, well… more beer for us! LOL

We didn’t quite know what to expect, but we were caught up in the initial rush of people at the event start, so we just followed their lead. There was a $5 fee for the event and this covered all the beer and food samples. There were 15 or so different samples ranging from microbrews to imports – no PBR swill here.

I’m happy to say that I’d never tried any of the brews present, so my tastebuds really got a workout. I stayed away from the IPAs – I’ve never been a bitter beer fan, so I knew I wouldn’t like them. But otherwise, I did try at least a sip of the rest of the lot.

My favorites were (in order):

Sea Dog Brewing Co. Apricot Wheat – I wasn’t sure what to expect from this, as fruity beer generally isn’t a fave with me, but I really liked this one. It really tasted like biting into a fresh juicy peach, with no bitter beer aftertaste. This would be a great beer to swig ice cold on a hot summer day. Oh wait… I just did that yesterday. LOL But seriously, if you like the taste of apricots, you’ll really dig this beer.

Orlando Brewing Organic Red Ale – I’d been wanting to visit this local brewery/bar but just haven’t made it over there yet. So I was excited to see them represented here for sampling. Then I learned they were serving Red Ale from a keg no less — magic words! Paired with the grilled burger, it was heavenly. Reminded me of my much beloved Leinie Red from WI… which is really high praise if you knew how much I love that beer.

Brooklyn Local 2 – A dark Belgian-style ale, this brew went really well with WF’s all-beef grilled franks. It had a subtle chocolate flavor with a hint of honey/caramel.

I didn’t realize that Whole Foods was serving actual grill items so we had eaten a bit before, but far be it from me to not sample some of the grill offerings in the name of journalism. Rhon liked the bbq ribs more than I did, but I really liked the franks and burgers – what can I say. I’m such a grill purist. LOL I also nibbled from the cheese and chocolate bar.

The evening was well worth the $5. Unfortunately, as we were trying to leave, my car decided to act up and not start. After 2 hrs, AAA finally came and told us it was either the fuel pump or filter. I’ll have to have it towed over to Tuffy on Monday. In the meantime he did get it running so I could get home.

In the words of Rosanne Rosannadanna, “…it’s always something…”

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About zengrrl

I'm Michelle Snow, the writer and creator of Zengrrl. I write about travel, entertainment, women's issues, health, body positivity, and more, both for this blog and freelance. I have also authored/co-authored four guidebooks on Orlando and Florida. If you aren't already following me, the links are below, as well as on the top right of this page. Thanks!